Anti-CAA mobilisation to create ruckus on 3 June

Intelligence agencies have cautioned the police forces of all states about a possible eruption by anti-CAA activists (rabble-rousers opposed to the amended citizenship law) on 3 June after discovering emails and other literature indicating choreographed protests will be held across the country. Naming “Safoora Zargar, Meeran Haider, Asif Iqbal Tanha, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita along with activists Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjeel Imam, Shifa Ur-Rahman and hundreds of other Muslim youth,” an email from [email protected] urges nearly 200 activist groups to hit the streets tomorrow.

Mentioning other incidents like “AMU students Farhan Zuberi and Ravish Ali Khan have been arrested by the UP police for participating in the anti-CAA protests”, the email clubs “anti-CAA activists such as Akhil Gogoi who has been charged under UAPA, Bittu Sonowal, Manas Konwar, Dhairjya Konwar and several others” with the lot.

The demands these activists have raised are:

• “Release all activists of the anti-CAA movement”
• “Scrap CAA-NRC-NPR! Scrap UAPA!”

Describing the anarchists as “political prisoners”, the emailer tries to exploit the prevailing sentiment against plight of migrant workers as well.

Curiously, while the reports of Muslims attacking and killing Hindus in the name of democratic protests against the CAA kept arriving until the retaliation happened, the emailer calls the Delhi riots a “pogrom”. The email is silent also on the atrocities of the activists themselves.

The sender of the email has cited cases where activists have been slapped of charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) to arouse emotions. The email contains misleading and provocative sentences like “The attack on the anti-CAA protesters who participated in the democratic struggle against (the) disenfranchisement of Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, workers, women and all marginalized communities is an attempt to systematically demobilise the movement against CAA-NRC-NPR.”

The 187 rabble-rousing organisations under the umbrella “People United against Repression on Anti-CAA Protesters” named in the email are as follows:

1. Ahmedabad against CAA-NRC-NPR
2. All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU)
3. All India Democratic Student Organisation (AIDSO)
4. All India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO)
5. All India Forum for Right to Education
6. All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan (AIMSS), Gujarat
7. All India Peoples’ Forum, (AIPF) Bangalore
8. All India Progressive Women’s Association
9. All India Queer Association
10. All India Revolutionary Student Organisation
11. All India Student Association (AISA)
12. All India Student Federation (AISF)
13. Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle, IIT Bombay
14. Ambedkar University Delhi Students’ Council
15. Anhad, Delhi
16. अनुदानित शिक्षा बचाव समिती
17. Anweshan
18. Asansol Civil Rights Association
19. Association For Democratic Rights, Punjab
20. AUD Queer Collective
21. Automobile Industry Contract Worker Union, Haryana
22. Bandi Mukti Committee, West Bengal
23. Bebaak Collective
24. Bebaak collective, Uttarakhand
25. Bengaluru Collective
26. Bahujan Samajwadi Manch
27. Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Student Organisation (BASO), JNU
28. Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch, (BSCEM) DU
29. Bhagat Singh Chhatra Morcha, (BSCM) UP
30. Bharat Bachao Andolan, Maharashtra
31. Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan
32. Bhim Army Students’ Federation, (BASF)
33. Campus Front of India (CFI)
34. Celluloid – The film society, Azim Premji University
35. Chaitanya Mahila Sangam, Telangana
36. Chhatra Ekta Manch, Haryana
37. Chhatisgarh Mukti Morcha – Mazdoor Karykarta Samiti, Chhatishgarh
38. Chhatisgarh Mahila Adhikar Manch
39. COLLECTIVE, Delhi
40. CONFLUENCE, IISER Mohali
41. Dakha, Punjab
42. Dayar i Shauq Students Charter (DiSSC), JMI
43. Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network, Gujarat
44. Dalit Lekhak Sang
45. Democracy Collective, Haryana
46. Democratic Teachers Front
47. Democratic Students Association (DSA), Kerala
48. Democratic Students Federation (DSF), JNU
49. Democratic Students Organization (DSO), Punjab
50. Democratic Students Union (DSU), DU
51. Democratic Students Union (DSU), Telangana
52. Disha Student Organisation
53. Faculty Feminist Collective, Delhi
54. Feminists in Resistance, Kolkata
55. Forum Against Oppression of Women (FAOW), Maharashtra
56. Fraternity Movement of India
57. Free Speech Collective
58. Friends foundation
59. Grameen Mazdoor Union, Bihar
60. Gujarat Federation of Trade Unions
61. Gujarat Mazdoor Sabha
62. Hasratein: A Queer Collective, JNU
63. Humanist Rationalist Organisation, Odisha
64. Hum Bharat Ke Log, Bombay
65. Human Rights Law Network (HRLN)
66. Hundred Flowers Group, JNU
67. Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU)
68. Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) Sarwahara
69. Indian Federation of Trade Union, Odisha
70. Indian Social Action Forum, (INSAF) Gujarat
71. Inquilabi Chhatra Morcha, Allahabad
72. Inquilabi Kender, Haryana
73. Inqlabi Kendra, Punjab
74. Inquilabi Mazdoor Kendra (IMK)
75. Jamia Coordination Committee
76. Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath
77. Jana Hastakshep, Delhi
78. Jagori, Dharamshala
79. Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, Bihar
80. Jan Sanskritik Manch
81. Jan Sangharsh Manch Haryana
82. Jan Sangharsh Manch, Gujarat
83. Janwadi Mahila Samiti (AIDWA, Delhi)
84. Jharkhand Nagrik Prayas
85. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU)
86. Karnataka Jana Shakthi
87. Karnataka Vidhyarthi Sangathan (KVS)
88. Kisan Adivasi Sanghatan
89. Kisan Sangharsh Samiti
90. Karnataka Shramika Shakthi
91. Krantikari Naujawan Sabha (KNS)
92. Krantikari Yuva Sanghatan (KYS)
93. Laali Guraas Collective, Darjeeling (WB)
94. LABIA – A Queer Feminist LBT Collective, Maharashtra
95. Lawyers Against Atrocities
96. Lok Kala Manch, Mullanpur
97. Lok Shikshak Manch
98. Madhya Pradesh Mahila Manch
99. Mahila Mukti Morcha, Chhatisgarh
100. Mazdoor Samanvay Kendra
101. Mazdoor Sahyog Kendra
102. Minority Coordination Committee, Gujarat
103. Mazdoor Kranti Parishad (MKP), WB
104. Marxist Student Federation, Jharkhand
105. Muktiwadi, Maharashtra
106. Muslim Students Federation (MSF)
107. Muslim Youth League
108. Naavu Bhratheeyaru, Bangalore
109. National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)
110. National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW)
111. Nagrika Sammukhya, Odisha
112. National Hawker Federation
113. National Peace Group, Gujarat
114. Naujavan Bharat Sabha
115. New Socialist Alternative, Maharashtra
116. New Socialist Initiative, (NSI)
117. New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)
118. North East Students Forum, JNU
119. Parivartankami Chhatra Sanghatan (Pachhas)
120. People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL)
121. Pinjra Tod, Delhi
122. Pragatisheel Lekhak Sangh
123. Pragatisheel Mahila Ekta Kendra
124. Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan
125. Prantojon
126. Progressive and Democratic Students Community, AUD
127. Progressive Democratic Students Federation (PDSF)
128. Progressive Democratic Students Federation (PDSF), WB
129. Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU)
130. Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU), AP, Telangana
131. Progressive Democratic Youth Federation (PDYF)
132. Progressive Organisation For Women (POW), Telangana
133. Progressive Student Front, Haryana
134. Punjab Student’s Union (PSU)
135. Radical Study Circle, TISS Mumbai
136. Rajiv Gandhi University Research Scholars’ Forum
137. Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch
138. Rashtriya Manavadhikar Mahasabha
139. Refraction, WB
140. Revolutionary Students’ Front, WB
141. Revolutionary Workers Party of India
142. Rihai Manch, UP
143. Saheli, Delhi
144. Sangwari
145. Samajwadi Jan Parishad
146. Samajwadi Samagam
147. Samta Kala Manch, Maharashtra
148. Samtamulak Mahila Sangatan, Haryana
149. Samata Vidyarthi Aghadi, Maharashtra
150. Satya Shodhak Sangh, Delhi/UP
151. SAU Progressive Students, Delhi
152. Shramajibi Nari Mancha, WB
153. Shramik Sangram Committee (SSC)
154. Shrijan, Siliguri, WB
155. Sikh Muslim Dalit Christian Sanjha Front, Punjab.
156. Student Organization for Socialist Democracy, Haryana
157. Socialist Workers Centre
158. Socialist Workers Center, TN
159. Solidarity Youth Movement
160. Stree Mukti Sangathan
161. Stri Jagriti Manch
162. Struggling Workers Coordination Committee, (SWCC) WB
163. Student Federation of India (SFI)
164. Students of Aalim Muhammad Salegh college
165. Students For Society, (SFS) Punjab
166. Students Islamic Organization (SIO)
167. South India Federation of Trade Unions
168. Swaraj Abhiyan
169. Tamil Nadu Student Movement (TSM)
170. Telangana Vidyarthi Sangam (TVS)
171. Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika (TVV)
172. The Feminist Collective, Haryana
173. The Students’ Outpost, Bangalore
174. Trade Union Center of India (TUCI)
175. Trans Rights Now
176. United Against Hate
177. United OBC Forum
178. Uttarakhand Mahila Manch
179. Utthan, Gujarat
180. Vidrohi Sanskrutik Chalwal, Maharashtra
181. Vimukta – Stree Mukti Sangathan
182. We The People of India (Hum Bharat Ke Log)
183. We The People Of India, Bengaluru
184. Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS)
185. Young Tamilnadu Movement
186. Youth Alliance For Peace
187. Yuvak Kranti Dal, Maharashtra

Initially, the activists had posted the email also on Facebook, but they deleted the post on getting a whiff of the likely police action on them.

Alerted by the fresh anti-CAA mobilisation, a government memo was shot to all state police forces, where superintendents of police of all districts were told: “The post above calls for nationwide protests on June 3. The issues are against recent arrests by Delhi Police, CAA, UAPA, etc. In view of restrictions due to COVID and in the backdrop of protests and violence in US, protests in any form should not be allowed. Our officers have been directed to share additional information with you.”

“It looks like they are planning an American type protest here,” an officer told Sirf News on the condition of anonymity.